Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 21, 2026
Noninvasive Sampling of Mucosal Lining Fluid for the Quantification of In Vivo Upper Airway Immune-mediator Levels
Published on: August 7, 2017
Zinc supplementation for prevention of acute respiratory infections in infants: a randomized controlled trial
Akash Malik1, Davendra K Taneja, Nivedhita Devasenapathy
1Departments of Community Medicine and *Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India; and #Indian Institute of Public Health, Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Correspondence to: Dr Akash Malik, National RMNCH+A Unit, Room No. 107 D, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi 110 001, India. drakashmalik28@gmail.com.
Insights
Two weeks of prophylactic zinc supplementation did not affect the overall incidence of acute respiratory infections in infants. However, it significantly reduced the incidence and duration of acute lower respiratory infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Nutritional science
- Public health
Background:
- Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants globally.
- Zinc supplementation is being explored as a potential intervention to reduce ARI burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of a 2-week prophylactic zinc supplementation on the incidence and duration of ARIs in infants.
- To assess the effect of zinc on both overall ARIs and specific types like acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs).
Main Methods:
- A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in an urban resettlement area in North-East Delhi, India.
- 272 children aged 6-11 months received either zinc (20 mg/5 mL) or placebo orally for two weeks.
- Outcomes measured included ARI incidence, type, duration, and adverse effects.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in the overall incidence of ARIs was observed between the zinc and placebo groups.
- A notable reduction in the incidence of acute lower respiratory infections (ALRIs) by 62% was observed with zinc supplementation.
- Zinc supplementation led to a decrease in the duration of ARI episodes by 12-15% and this effect on ALRIs persisted for five months.
Conclusions:
- Two weeks of prophylactic zinc supplementation may be beneficial in reducing morbidity associated with acute lower respiratory infections in infants.
- Zinc supplementation did not appear to impact the overall incidence rate of acute respiratory infections in the studied population.
- Further research may explore longer-term or different dosing strategies for zinc supplementation in infant respiratory health.
Objective:
To study the effect of 2 weeks of prophylactic zinc supplementation on incidence and duration of acute respiratory infections.
Design:
Randomized double blind controlled trial.
Setting:
Community based; urban resettlement area in North-East Delhi, India.
Participants:
272 children aged 6-11 months with acute respiratory infections. Children receiving zinc supplement within the past 3 months, severely malnourished, immuno-deficient, on steroid therapy, with severe illness requiring hospitalization, or children of families likely to migrate from the study area were excluded.
Intervention:
Placebo (syrup base) or zinc (20 mg/5 mL elemental zinc as zinc sulfate) orally given for a period of 2 weeks.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
Incidence, type and duration of acute respiratory infections, and adverse effects.
Results:
No effect on incidence of acute respiratory infections was noted. A decrease of 15% (0.78-0.94) in days and 12% (0.78-0.94) in duration of episode in acute respiratory infections was observed. Incidence of acute lower respiratory infections decreased by 62% (0.26-0.36) and the effect remained for full five months of follow up. There were no drop outs due to side effects.
Conclusions:
Prophylactic zinc supplementation for two weeks may reduce the morbidity due to acute lower respiratory infections but not overall rate of acute respiratory infections in infants aged 6-11 months in similar populations.
More Related Videos
16:56Sublingual Immunotherapy as an Alternative to Induce Protection Against Acute Respiratory Infections
Published on: August 30, 2014
09:17A Robust Pneumonia Model in Immunocompetent Rodents to Evaluate Antibacterial Efficacy against S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae, K. pneumoniae, P. aeruginosa or A. baumannii
Published on: January 2, 2017